KILPATRICK FROM A LONG PRISON SENTENCE IN THE CORRUPTION SCANDAL THAT ROCKED DETROIT TO ITS CORE. GOOD EVENING! TODAY'S SENTENCING IMPORTANT NOT ONLY FOR A SENSE OF CLOSURE TO REAL DETROITERS WHO WERE CHEATED BUT TO SEND A MESSAGE TO PRESENT AND FUTURE ELECTED OFFICIALS. Steve: JUDGE NANCY EDMUNDS ECHOED THAT SENTIMENT WHEN SHE PASSED DOWN SENTENCE ON KWAME KILPATRICK, 28 YEARS IN PRISON! HE'LL BE 71 YEARS OLD IF HE SERVES THE FULL TERM. Carmen: SHE'LL RECOMMEND HE SERVE TIME IN A PRISON IN TEXAS WHERE HIS FAMILY NOW LIVES. HE STILL OWES MONEY TO THE CITY OF DETROIT. MORE ON HIS APOLOGY AND THE VICTIMS, THE PEOPLE OF DETROIT, HOW THEY FEEL ABOUT THE SENTENCE. Steve: LET'S BEGIN WITH KEVIN DIETZ WHO WAS LIVE INSIDE THE COURTROOM. KWAME HAD A CHANCE TO SPEAK. WHAT DID HE HAVE TO SAY FOR HIMSELF? Kevin: IT WAS SOMETHING INSIDE THAT COURTROOM TODAY. NOT A PIN DROPPING, COULD NOT BE HEARD WHEN HE STOOD UP TO TELL THE JUDGE HIS SIDE OF THE STORY. HIS HAPPENED WAS ACTUALLY TREMBLING AND HE TOOK ABOUT 15-20 SECONDS TO GET HIS COMPOSURE AND TOLD THE JUDGE SEVERAL THINGS, ONE THAT STRUCK ME WAS THAT HE DIDN'T STEAL ANY MONEY. AND TWO, HE'S SORRY THAT THE CITY OF DETROIT IS BROKE, BUT IT'S NOT HIS FAULT. KWAME KILPATRICK IN PRISON KHAKIS AND SLIPPERS, HANDS CUFFED BEHIND HIS BACK, NO BIG SMILE. HE TOLD THE JUDGE, ALL I EVER WANTED TO BE WAS MAYOR OF DETROIT, NOT PRESIDENT, NOT GOVERNOR. BUT SIX MONTHS INTO THE JOB, I ABSOLUTELY HATED IT. KILPATRICK SAID HE REALIZED THE CITY WAS IN DIRE STRAITS BUT DIDN'T WANT DETROITERS TO KNOW IT. MEN DON'T CRY, SO I SHOWED CONFIDENCE AND IT WAS TAKEN AS ARROGANCE. KWAME KILPATRICK TEARED UP WHEN HE TALKED ABOUT HIS FATHER. SAYING, MY DAD IS A REAL GOOD MAN, HE IS NOT A CRIMINAL. BERNARD KILPATRICK NOW LIVES IN TEXAS AND HELPS CARLITA RAISE THE KIDS. HE SAID SEVEN OF TEN AFRICAN-AMERICAN KIDS DON'T HAVE A FATHER FIGURE IN THEIR LIFE HOPING FOR LENIENCY IF NOT FOR HIM FOR HIS DAD. HE TOLD THE JUDGE BOBBY FERGUSON WAS MAKING $20 MILLION A YEAR BEFORE HE CAME ALONG. AS FOR STEALING, KILPATRICK SAID, THE GOVERNMENT TALKED ABOUT STEALING FROM THE CITY. WOW! I'VE NEVER DONE THAT, YOUR HONOR. THE JURY FOUND HE TOOK $500,000 FROM A CIVIC FUND AND SPENT IT ON YOGA SEVENS -- LESSONS, SPA TREATMENTS AND VACATIONS. Kevin: I WAS SITTING THERE KEEPING A CLOSE EYE ON KILPATRICK AS THE SENTENCE WAS COMING DOWN TO SEE WHAT HIS REACTION WAS. THE JUDGE RATTLES OFF 20 YEARS FOR EXTORTION AND 7 YEARS FOR THE FRAUD AND A YEAR FOR THE TAXES. KWAME NEVER EVEN BLINKED AND SITS BACK AS IF HE KNOWS IT'S COMING, ABSOLUTELY EMOTIONLESS AS HE FINDS OUT HE'LL SPEND THE NEXT 28 YEARS LOCKED UP INSIDE A FEDERAL PRISON. REPORTING LIVE AT THE COURTHOUSE, KEVIN DIETZ, LOCAL 4 "DEFENDERS." Carmen: DOES IT APPEAR THE NEXT STOP FOR KILPATRICK WILL BE TEXAS? Kevin: THAT'S WHAT HE'S ASKED FOR BECAUSE THAT'S WHERE HIS WIFE AND KIDS ARE AND HIS FATHER, THEY ALL LIVE IN TEXAS. HE WANTS TO GO TO A PRISON IN DALLAS. THE JUDGE WOULD RECOMMEND IT, BUT IT'S NOT UP TO THE JUDGE, IT'S UP TO THE BUREAU OF PRISONS. THEY'LL LOOK AT HOW HE WAS IN MILAN PRISON.

Kwame Kilpatrick has begun serving his prison term in Oklahoma at the Oklahoma City Federal Transfer Center.

Before he was sentenced, Kilpatrick said he was sorry, but denied stealing money from the city.

“I just want people to know that I am incredibly remorseful for the conditions of the city and any role, any part I played in it," he said. "The government talked about stealing from the city. Wow ...I've never done that, your Honor."

Kilpatrick, 43, quit office in 2008 because of a different scandal involving sexually explicit text messages and an extramarital affair.

He was forced out while the auto industry was nearing collapse and Detroit's unstable finances were deteriorating even more. The city now is run by a state-appointed emergency manager, Kevyn Orr, who took Detroit into Chapter 9 bankruptcy last summer as a last-ditch effort to fix billions of dollars in debt.

Comments

The views expressed below are not those of Click On Detroit, WDIV, or its affiliated companies. By clicking on "Post," you acknowledge that you have read the Terms of Service and your comment is in compliance with such terms. Readers, please help keep this discussion respectful and on topic by flagging comments that are offensive or inappropriate (hover over the commenter's name and you'll see the flag option appear on right side of that line). And remember, respect goes both ways: Tolerance of others' opinions is important in a free discourse. If you're easily offended by strong opinions, you might skip reading comments entirely.